A Home For The Politically Homeless

The recent resignations of several Labour MPs are further evidence that our politics is broken.

Both the mainstream parties are riven by internal politics and conflict, characterised by weak leadership, incompetence and intolerance. May and Corbyn are the least popular leaders in recent history. There’s widespread public disillusionment and appetite for change. If only there was a new political movement, unfettered by outdated ideology and tribal allegiances, shaped by ordinary people from all walks of life.

Well, there is. It’s called Renew and was established in 2017 by people who believe it’s possible to combine a prosperous market economy with a compassionate society, where individual fulfilment and community spirit go hand in hand. It’s a pro-Europe party, firmly rooted in the 21st Century, free from prejudice and intolerance. It has hundreds of active supporters and candidates preparing to stand in local and general elections.

Party management and administrative structures are in place and policy platforms are being developed through wide-ranging consultation and debate, conducted in a climate of moderation, transparency and civility. Renew has a website, is active on social networks and will be having its second annual conference in April. You can even buy a t-shirt!

The big challenge for any new political movement is building awareness. The mainstream broadcast and print media are under no obligation to give coverage to any party that doesn’t have at least 30 sitting MPs. Just look at how the LibDems have disappeared from view. So, if you’re not a political nerd like me, it’s unlikely that you’ve heard of Renew yet. Hence the importance of local, grassroots campaigning and publicity like this.

Please take a look at Renewparty.orgwebsite to see if it might be compatible with your views about the kind of world we want to live in. It’s often said that our electoral system rules out the possibility of changing the long-established binary nature of UK politics but recent history suggests that apparently impossible outcomes can happen. And indeed a broader sweep of political history shows that our democracy is perfectly capable of fundamental reform when the people will it.